Malone, Krzyzewski, Chaney elected to Hall

"I wish we could keep it a secret," Chaney said Wednesday after it was announced he would join former NBA great Moses Malone and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as the latest class with induction ceremonies on Oct. 5.

"I'd like to slip right in without anybody recognizing it," Chaney said. "I'm going to ask them if I can go in without being there. I'll write them a letter."

The 69-year-old Chaney has been a college coach for 29 seasons, and has led the Owls to 17 NCAA tournament appearances in 19 seasons, including five NCAA regional finals.

Mike Krzyzewski

"You look at your whole life in total and you can't put it into words," Chaney said at a news conference in Philadelphia. "It's been overwhelming."

Malone, who became one of the most dominating centers in the game, jumped from Petersburg (Va.) High School to the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association in 1974 at the age of 19.

"It is an honor to think people consider me a great player," Malone said. "I never considered myself a great player. I considered myself a hard worker."

The 6-foot-10 Malone became the third leading rebounder in NBA history  behind Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell  with 16,212, and the NBA's fifth leading scorer with 27,404 points.

John Chaney

He also ranks third in games played (1,329), second in free throw attempts (11,090) and first in free throws made (8,531).

A 12-time NBA All-Star, he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship and was selected MVP of the finals.

He also played for Houston, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Washington and San Antonio.

Malone said if he had to single out one of his former teammates, it would be Hall of Famer Julius Erving.

"I love him," Malone said. "He is an ambassador of the game."

Krzyzewski won his third national championship at Duke this spring. He has a 606-223 record in 21 seasons of coaching, four at West Point, his alma mater, and the rest at Duke, where he also won NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992.

Coaches are eligible for induction after 25 seasons of coaching, while players must be retired for at least five years.

A person needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee to be inducted.

For the first time since 1992 the Honors Committee did not elect a female player or coach. Two female coaches, Cathy Rush of Immaculata College and Kay Yow of North Carolina State, were among the 17 finalists.

The other finalists included coaches Lute Olson, Larry Brown and Jerry Tarkanian, and players James Worthy, Adrian Dantley, Bobby Jones, Earl Lloyd, and international stars Dino Meneghin and Drazen Petrovic.